Veiled
by Unprocessed Film
Summary: After the final battle with Voldemort, Ginny realizes how much it can hurt to love... beneath rose-colored glasses. A One-shot fic. :-)


Disclaimer:

Harry Potter and all related terms, characters and whatnot are of no relevance to J.K. Rowling, and are property of Photographic Pawprints. 

I wish. :-)

Veiled

There were absolutely no signs of a lingering breeze, but Ginny's hand trembled nonetheless as she dropped her wand back into a pocket of her school robes. With heartbeats pounding their way across her chest, she drew out a shuddering breath, and stared with hopeful eyes at the identical girl in their dormitory's bathroom mirror. 

A rich, flowing shade of auburn topped the reluctant face that stared back at her, freckles dancing around the same rich color that seemed to have grown striking with time. For several moments she doted on her features, slightly surprised at how she had truly grown throughout her years at Hogwarts. It was almost as though the baby face she used to carry when she first boarded the train had, in six years time, buried itself underneath this maturing facade of sixteen. 

"_You're beautiful, dear_," Ginny's reflection affirmed her, seeing the obvious uncertainty take hold of the charming 6th year's eyes.

Ginny gave the mirror a cheerless grin, failing miserably as she tried to hide the sense of bitterness that had been pricking her for months. Choking up a tear, she looked away from her reflection and let out a breath.

Beautiful... what was beautiful, anyway? It was a word she had only truly felt when her mother had said it to her... and yet, then again, it would already be unsurprising to hear it from a woman who had already been drowned in a house full of boys. Any girl would be a beautiful breath of fresh air after that. Ginny could only wish that Harry had the same perception of beauty as her mother did at the moment... 

_If only... if only he saw me that way too...._

But Ginny knew better... she knew that she was being unrealistic with that wish, as the false hopes of having Harry look her way had just been shattered with the results of Harry's final battle with Voldemort. She was desperate; she had to resort to the only means she had left... even if it meant going against her own conscience.

"_He'd love you for the way you are_," her reflection continued, trying to sway her from going to the hospital wing. "_You don't need to hide yourself... don't do this._"__

And, for a fleeting moment she was ready to discontinue with it, until her heart gave her a forceful tug as though it wanted to goad her... she just couldn't turn back. After all, the spell had already taken place, and she'd swear after this that she'd never do anything like it again...

Clearing her throat to make sure everything was set, Ginny took one last look at herself and fought back any of the tears that tried to follow. 

"You can do this, Gin," she told her reflection, ignoring the difference in her voice. "There's no backing out now... get--- get in there."

With this, she strode out of the bathroom, hand buried in her pocket, as she made her way on shaky feet towards the hospital wing.

"Oh well, good luck, dear..." her reflection helplessly called after her.

The intimidating hallways at Hogwarts seemed to take longer to pass through that day. Everything seemed so silent--- so solemn... so _grave_, that it came as much of a surprise to her that things could still feel so dismal even after the Dark Lord's demise. 

Finally reaching the place, Ginny lifted a sweaty palm to the door, and with a final deep breath, knocked onto the entrance of the hospital wing. Several footsteps later, the head of a pale, middle-aged woman wearing a white headdress popped out to meet Ginny's face.

"Oh _dear_," Madame Pomfrey sighed, features crinkled into an irritable look. "And I thought I already _forbade_ Albus to allow any more visits! No, no... I can't allow this.. there will be absolutely no more visits from any one apart from those that came this morning!"

"But Ma'am Pomfrey! I haven't _seen _Harry in ages.... please!"

"Girl, do you _know_ just how much the boy has endured these past few weeks? Why, I'll be surprised if---"

Ginny did a sharp intake of breath as her face flared up. "Well, _Madame Pomfrey_, do _you_ know just how _hard_ it is to be waiting out of your wits for someone you really care about? Oh bloody hell to that, for _weeks_ I didn't even know if he was alive or not!"

Madame Pomfrey furrowed her eyebrows and immediately lifted a finger to her mouth. "Ssh! Sush your mouth, girl! Alright then, get in, get in... but I shall kick you out if you make any more noise! And _do_ take care of that cold!"

Slightly cross at being answered so rudely, Madame Pomfrey strode coldly towards Harry's bed to tell him that he had a visitor. Ginny, positively blissful to see Harry again, rushed towards his bedside and tried to hug him, but Madame Pomfrey gave her a warning look and Ginny caught herself in time from doing so.

Harry was confined to a bigger bed than usual, with a magically enlarged end table to contain all of his presents and get-well-soon cards. He was looking much as he had before the battle with Voldemort had begun, with the exception of several bandages on his arm and a bruise on his forehead. 

"Goodness, Harry! I'm so glad to see you!" Ginny cried in a shivering whisper. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she held the boy's hand. "Do you know just how crazy we've all been for you?" 

Harry, whose back had been facing Ginny, struggled to turn the other way and revealed her his tired but lit up features. "Oh, God, finally! You're—you're here! I've been waiting to—to--"

"Ssh—sssh...!" Ginny replied, lifting a hand to keep him from sitting up, and ignoring the heavy, painful feeling crept towards Ginny's heart. She couldn't resolve to look straight at the boy... it hurt too much...

"Don't... don't jump out at me or Madame Pomfrey will have our heads chucked out," she breathed, clearing her throat to clear the tears out. But she couldn't help it; the tears would have to come. She couldn't help it, especially since her only consolation was the relief that he'd survived... with the only damage being... being...

"Wow... I suddenly feel like all my wounds have numbed themselves for a while," Harry smiled, a pleased expression coming over his face. "Merlin, do stop crying... you're worse than Ron."

Ginny laughed. "S-Sorry, I can't help it... you've been gone for so long and all, you know?" She rubbed several stray tears away with the back of her hand. "S-so how've you been doing?"

"I'm just waiting for Madame Pomfrey to work her magic... you've probably heard about the damage the Cruciatus caused me already, knowing Fred and George..."

"Oh, right... I'm really sorry about that..."

Harry forced a smile. "No, you don't have to be... it isn't permanent. Madame Pomfrey does loads, you know... she'll work something out before the end of the month. Or at least she says she will."

"Yes," Ginny said, beaming at him in return. "She-- she told me you'd be free of that before... before summer comes in." But Ginny knew she was lying. Being hit by the Cruciatus Curse one too many times has left many people with terrible, irreversible conditions... and it hurt just as much to know that Harry would never, ever be the same again...

"Could you—could you tell me how it went?" Ginny asked him reluctantly, finally working up the courage to ask about the death of the Dark Lord. She'd heard stories from various people... many of them far too incredible to be true, and with the mention of so many deaths, she decided that she wanted to hear it firsthand from the person who had actually braved the Dark Lord face to face.

Harry breathed, closing his eyes for moment as though he would rather not recall the event. He paused for a while, and for a brief moment there was a tense silence between the two of them. 

"I'm—I'm sorry... you don't have to tell me if you don't---"

"No, it's alright," Harry cut in, holding a hand in front of her. "You're the only one I'm really willing to tell it to anyway... I'd have told Ron but Madame Pomfrey took a close watch this morning..."

"...and _is_ keeping a close watch right now," a voice broke in. Ginny looked up to see Madame Pomfrey poring over the two of them, hands affixed to either side of her waist. She was wearing a less-than-happy expression on her face. 

"I know you mean well dear, but I'm afraid the story-telling will have to wait for now. The boy needs his rest."

"But--"

"No more of that, dear girl! Mr. Potter here is sick, and if you can't comply with the rules I'll have you thrown out."

Ginny blushed a crimson shade as she waited for Madame Pomfrey to go to the other end of the wing. "Guess I can't argue with that."

"Don't worry," Harry whispered. "I'll give you all the details when I get out of here." He stared momentarily at nothingness, thumbing a corner of his sheets. Then, sighing heavily, he added, "I really missed you."

"A girlfriend with a beautiful face like this? Of course you did," Ginny teased, stroking his forehead gently. _And I missed you too, Harry..._

Harry held a hand up to stroke Ginny's cheek. "Well--- you _are_ beautiful, you know." 

Ginny's heart leapt a mile. "Oh... wow, t-thanks.." Ginny replied, tears suddenly building themselves back up in her eyes. All of a sudden, she wanted to tell him the truth... to stay until Madame Pomfrey literally whisked her out of the premises... but she couldn't. It would hurt him too much... and besides that, the spell she cast on herself could only last her for so long. 

"That--- that means a lot, Harry... thanks."

Harry smiled. "Yeah... well you are. I mean, I just--- just know you are."

Ginny closed her eyes and breathed out the guilt that was starting to swim around inside of her. "I-- I know," Ginny kidded with an unwanted choke.

_The spell... it's wearing off... _she thought, rubbing her throat mildly. "Oh, err... listen, I really need to go now... Professor, er, Flitwick is waiting for me at the Great Hall... you know, being top student and all. Anyway, I'll send you a new box of Chocolate Frogs tomorrow, okay? I trust you'll...  get well soon, Harry?"

"Yeah, I will," Harry replied. Looking directly forward, he groped for Ginny's hand, and stared with blank, veiled eyes at the empty space past her. "Thanks for everything, _Hermione_." 

Finally feeling the spell completely wear off her voice, Ginny bade a faint goodbye as she walked guiltily out of the hospital wing, and wept.


End file.
